I went a little crazy and started bedazzlin' phone cases...and I went just a little over the top and made about seven or so...and yeah, I'll sell them/make custom jobs. Email me or use the contact form for inquiries. The base price is $45 including (domestic) shipping for anything like what I have already made (gems, bits and pieces of jewelry parts and findings) If you are wanting some REALLY special that I have to order special thangs for, then we can discuss :)

I also included a necklace I made last week from GREETING CARDS! (and sparkles, of course!!) I was watching the Project Runway 'Unconventional Materials Challenge' and wanted to make something outta cards, too- it looked like so much fun! So my daily art was created from collaged cards...and then, well...I made a statement necklace out of greeting cards!

Straight from @artinw_damuse(that's my Instagram, do you follow it?!):

Every year that I teach I am as excited about the first day as...well as excited as my first day as a student. A new school year has so many possibilities and is exciting. When I was a kid I wondered, 'what will my class look like?...will it be fun?...Will they like me?...will I get a chance to learn and to shine?' Funny thing is, these are still the things that I wonder about, thirty-two years later...this time as the teacher. I hope tomorrow is a GREAT day, and that I can make each and every one of my students feel excited about this new school year- and maintain that enthusiasm til June!

In honor of 'back to school', I created a DIY Crayon bib necklace with a lil' bit o' bling to wear on my first day back. It was well received by students and staff, folks in Target after school...and as for my husband, he doesn't really get my eccentric style, but I think deep down he also likes my necklace!

Well...here it is! Hope everyone out there on the interwebs had a GREAT first day back..whether you are a student, a teacher...or a parent who is happy that you child is back at school!

Thank you PBCATA and Lighthouse Art Center for my recent ART SALE! Yay! I participated in their 'Art of Association' this summer and when I went to pick up my work found out that my Gustav Klimt piece from my January 2015, 'Miss Matchy Matchy Series' sold...to a lady in a big ol' pink hat nonetheless! Yay!!

...been working all week on my LWHS classroom and I am excited about all tasks I was able to complete, both large and small, that I really feel are going to make this school year even better. Last year I was overwhelmed with all the new-hire stuff...new district...new school...on top of cleaning and trying to organize my room...and figure out what I wanted to do with my students during the first days, of course! All I could do last year was organize my front storage closet and then make the main part of the classroom look presentable...meanwhile the whole back of the room, the kiln room and the back storage really didn't get much TLC until the LAST days of school.

But this year...I had already did so much of the major cleaning and organization jobs that I could focus on smaller projects...labeling and sorting and revamping. And after being without a classroom for a year when I was down south...I am grateful for having my own space, and I take pride and joy in making it a better place for my students.

Before I post some pics...just for fun, I looked back and found some of my 'Back to School-themed' posts from back when I was teaching at Indiantown Middle School, when I first started the blog.

A little note about IMS...this was also an older, 'work with what ya got' school (...story of my life!), but I love to create beauty and order in places folks might not have known it could exist. (I was like this as a kid, too- ask my momma. We didn't have much money growing up, stayed in older homes, even a single wide trailer or two. No matter where we were I always did my best to re-decorate and organize to create a better space, and always on a budget. Kinda my thing, and I take pride in that.)

And now...for a look at my 'Trojan den' for the 2015-2016 school year!

Front of room, view as soon as you walk in. I do a seating chart...kinda. I stand at the door and greet each student, and direct them to find a seat at a certain numbered table. This way I can still establish some order but they still get some choice. I make changes as needed, but once we're settled I wrote 'em down and that is where they sit. With 38-41 high school students...I need some sanity to help me learn names...and also helps the sub with such large classes.

To the right of the door is my front storage closet, I have shown this in previous blogs. It was so crazy this time last year, and for the most part I did the work on this already- the major work anyway. This year I could just rearrange, label...I did however have one minor nervous breakdown when I realized my Scholastics weren't alphabetized correctly...but I did it myself and now I can find any artist I need. (yay, me!)

This is a view from the back corner of the front half of the room, behind my desk. My goal was to declutter as much as possible. With so many students I felt like this was a must.

This is the back half of the room. I busted my bootie at the end of the year cleaning this area. I still need to work on the kiln room and the very back storage area, but if you open any drawer, everything is organized. I want to find some same-size boxes for the items on top of the cabinet, that's all kinds of recycled materials and various scraps, etc...but I would like that to look a little more organized. (Here's a link to a blog post about that end of school organization project; http://www.jenniferlovegironda.com/blog/schools-out)

And that's if for now. Wait- no. One more thing.

I used to toy with the idea of a separate teaching blog, and I did...and then took it off the main menu 'cause I decided to integrate posts about my teaching in with my art ('cause I'm a TEACHING ARTIST...and 'cause it's just easier for me) Here is a link to view that ol' blog...it's not up to date, and there aren't a ton of things posts... but still has some fun pics and good info;

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO SEE HATS THAT HAVE POPPED UP IN SOME OF MY WORK SINCE 2012...and I use the term 'hat' loosely...you'll see!

If you follow my Instagram (and I hope you do, there's alotta FUN stuff there!!) then you know that the new series...well...it's about HATS!

I posted a sneak peek on August 1st from a rooftop in Brooklyn and my first few pieces were on sketch paper, created in watercolor pencil. The paper wasn't the best for the water based media...but I still like the...well...'sketchiness' of 'em. When I came back home I started working on bristol board, and upped the size to 8x10 inches. I had been looking at so many fashion illustrators to get ready for teaching my camp at the Armory...I think that the style of the series so far shows this influence, the simple watercolor style...laying down my colors first then going back in with some black line in varying widths. Not sure if the series will take me to other media...enjoying the simplicity of the watercolor right now, especially after such an intense month beading!

Why hats? I dunno...why not? I myself do not own a ton of hats. I have your standard issue huge black hat for the pool, another floppy straw hat, a lil' number I picked up in NYC last year...and that's it. Well, besides a few 'boggans and there's not need for those in south Florida. I could kick myslef for throwing out this amazing black cowboy hat I picked up when John and I were out west for the first time, I think I bought it in New Mexico...sigh. I miss that hat.

I like hats, as I do any and ALL accessories. And I think that the expression, 'wearing many hats' fits me, and probably everyone in some way. I actually found a whole page of 'hat-isms' that was kinda fun;

It ain't no secret, I love New York! We got back a few days ago and I jumped right into teaching a Fashion-themed camp at the Armory (oh, there will be a blog post on that, don't you worry!) and between that an some minor health issues...I didn't carve out the time to post some pics and ramblings about our most recent, and LAST, trip of summer 2015.

Yep...the final trip of summer. Wow, it sure went fast!

When we go to NYC, it isn't usually for sightseeing and museum hopping. We do what we can of that of course, but we spend time with friends and family that are there, as much as possible of course.

But before I go into this trip, in pictures at least, here are a few recent NYC trips...most recent at the end just for fun as documented in my blog;

http://www.jenniferlovegironda.com/blog/lets-finish-up-july-shall-we...hmmmm. I found a mini-blurb and mention of an exhibit at the Met...I am assuming it was the Charles James: Beyond Fashion Exhibit. But I never saw that particular blog post. Hmmm...might have to revisit that in the future. The show is down but surely worth a lil' blog love.

So...here are some pics from our most recent NYC trip!

Panoramic shot inside the part of the FAILE exhibit...that's our friend Scott (aka 'ShayShay') waiting for 'next' on foosball.

...I have to say, I loved the Chinese/Fashion exhibit at the Met but the FAILE exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum was a hit for not only myself but also my husband and our friend Scott. Can't beat foosball in a floor to ceiling room of blacklight posters!

View from the rooftop of the Met.

And that's it. I mean...there's more of course, but Project Runway season premier is tonight...so...you know...priorities!

Back from the final trip of summer 2015 and I gotta say, it was a great one! John and I always travel during the summer, but this summer we really did kick it into to overdrive with our wanderings to California, back home to North Carolina, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, around Florida a bit and finally...New York City! (...more in the next post on that!)

Before a mini-trip wrap-up I wanted to write a little about the final pieces in my #SurfacesJLG series! Folks, I started beading...and I couldn't stop myself. I continued to use my own digital prints on fabric, painting on them with acrylic and then finally BEADING!!! My hands say no-no-NO...but my eyes and my heart say YASSSSSSSSS!

So...here are the final pieces;

Just for fun...here's a close-up of 209-212. I just want to show the amount of love I put into these pieces, each bead stitched with my own two little (aching) bear paws...every stitch...I made it!

I have been fortunate to have some inquiries about purchasing these pieces, yep- they are all for sale. I will be listing a price break down on the Gallery page and also in my FB album.

Basically, the price depends on when I created it in my series, based on how much work/LOVE went into the piece.

And Gin, if you are reading it...yes, CED2015-2012 is yours, birthday girl!

What are my 'takeaways'? Working on this series reminded me how much I enjoy beading and stitching on fabric. It is more time consuming and and causes me some physical pain in my hands...'cause I will sit and bead for 3-5 hours at a stretch...NOT joking. But at the end of the day, there is something very comforting to me, the physical motion of stitching, the rhythm of the my needle going through the back of the cloth, emerging on the front to pick up a bead and then disappear again into the fabric...yeah, I like that.

What next? Well, I will be incorporating more pieces like this into my art. Due to the nature of the work, the time that it takes to complete a beaded piece...maybe I will have to work small...or maybe I can tackle a larger project if I just work a little each day. The point it- I can't stop. And it might not be part of my 'daily art series' and all of my crazy OCPD numbering and labeling systems...but I think I need to stick with it, somehow.